A Tree is Known by Its Fruit

Starting in February every year (the 8th to be exact) the Tullos family has what we always refer to as “Birthday Season”. Once the birthday season ball starts rolling it DOES NOT STOP until August. It is nearly every weekend, one birthday after another for 7 months straight, with all the holidays smushed in between, and we love it. My brother had a job once that thought he was scheming to get out of working weekends because he kept saying he needed off for his sisters birthday. That’s how bananas Birthday Season is.

Once school starts in the fall we all go back to our boring schedules with work and school and the like with no birthdays (and no holidays!) to look forward to until November.

That means there’s no hour long drive to visit on the weekend, no extra vat of potato salad to worry over before we scramble out of the house, no little boys in the backseat begging for crappy food at a drive-thru because we are in the car for more than five minutes. For a couple of weeks, it’s a nice break. And then something happens…

We start to miss each other and make up reasons to congregate. Yesterday was one of those days.

They say apples don’t fall far from the tree (and in our family not only is this true, but none of us likes to wander far from the tree for too long)… so I made Chewy Apple Bars to take with.

I peeled, cored and chopped one medium sized Granny Smith apple and then I chopped up some walnuts. I mixed my dry ingredients in a smallish bowl and put my sugars in a large bowl with melted butter.

I mixed the butter and sugar with my trusty wooden spoon and then added eggs and vanilla. Once the eggs were just barely combined I gradually added in my flour mixture.

When the flour is mixed in completely add the apples and walnuts. Stir only as much as you have to- the dough for these bars is thick and when you bake them they are chewy delicious- if you stir too much they tend to get a little tough.

Turn the dough into a greased 9X13 pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 25 or 30 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Chewy Apple Bars

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped apple (Granny Smith if you can help it– they bake the best)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To Make

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9X13 pan. In one bowl wisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. In another bowl mix together granulated sugar, brown sugar and melted butter and stir by hand. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time until just combined. Gradually add flour mix and then the apples and walnuts. Turn the dough into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. In a small dish mix together the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar and then sprinkle over the top of the dough before baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes and then cool completely before cutting into squares.